Pre-health needed if taking a year off?

[MarieTee]

Hi, Quick question, Forgive my ignorance, but I'm new here and am reading a lot of comments regarding pre-health being required for getting into the RN programs, and would just like clarification. Is pre-health equivalent to high school gr. 12 University courses?

My daughter is in her senior year in high school, and did not get into the RN program she was hoping for at McMasters.. She has an 89.5% average and has taken all the pre-req (12 U science courses) needed for entry into the RN program.. We didn't realize there was an RN program through MOMAC (our bad!) so she didn't apply there.. We're wondering if she takes a year off after she graduates high school, and re-applies for the RN program at MOhawk/MAC (MOMAC) for next year, would she need to take pre-health as she is not coming directly out of high school if she waits a year? or is she fine with the courses she has taken in high school to just re-apply for next year's program? The other option is she can take the RPN and bridge, but she didn't want to go that route.. She just wants to go straight into the 4 yr RN program.

Can someone help us with this? I've read comments from people in other threads saying you need pre-health if you're not coming directly from high school? Thanks for your input!

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Mom, (and I mean no offense) your daughter should be doing all this legwork- not you.

[Piaffe]

As a student within a Canadian institution, I may have some insight that is useful. Most of the schools I researched have two admission options, either direct entry from high school, or as a post secondary student. Both are extremely competitive, and while each school has a different level of cut-off, the minimum GPA for accepted high school students at my school was 94%. The minimum GPA and the entrance GPA are two very different things.

If the pre-health program contains courses that are required in the nursing program, it may be wise for her to go that route. Assuming some of those credits can be applied to the nursing program, this would lighten her course load. High school courses are not equivalent to university courses, and there will be courses she is required to take outside of core nursing classes (depends on the program, but for example A&P, psych etc.).

Your daughter would still be considered a high school applicant if she took a year off of school, however reapplying without a competitive average will not get a seat in the program. She needs to find out how they calculate GPA (some schools take the top 2 classes, others use the average in the last semester), and decide whether it would be better to repeat high school courses or complete a year of university and apply with a post secondary GPA.

[MarieTee]

Mom, (and I mean no offense) your daughter should be doing all this legwork- not you.

I'm sorry, did you have an answer to my question? I came here for some feedback to my question, not what you think I or my daughter should or should not be doing. (and likewise- no offense) This is the first time I decided to come on any forum and ask a question as I'm as curious as anyone else who may wonder.. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mention calling the school as a complaint either.. I'm just eager to get an answer. She's been doing all of the legwork when it comes to researching all of her questions etc..

As it is, she asked the student services coach earlier today while at school (about the same time I was calling) about it and he told her the pre-health program is in fact equivalent to the courses she's taking now, so she should be fine to go ahead and apply. Thanks everyone!

[MarieTee]

As a student within a Canadian institution, I may have some insight that is useful. Most of the schools I researched have two admission options, either direct entry from high school, or as a post secondary student. Both are extremely competitive, and while each school has a different level of cut-off, the minimum GPA for accepted high school students at my school was 94%. The minimum GPA and the entrance GPA are two very different things.

If the pre-health program contains courses that are required in the nursing program, it may be wise for her to go that route. Assuming some of those credits can be applied to the nursing program, this would lighten her course load. High school courses are not equivalent to university courses, and there will be courses she is required to take outside of core nursing classes (depends on the program, but for example A&P, psych etc.).

Your daughter would still be considered a high school applicant if she took a year off of school, however reapplying without a competitive average will not get a seat in the program. She needs to find out how they calculate GPA (some schools take the top 2 classes, others use the average in the last semester), and decide whether it would be better to repeat high school courses or complete a year of university and apply with a post secondary GPA.

Thank you for this information! I will pass this on. :)